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Following on from the discussion on Newton Abbot, many of the meetings this season seem to have had Iain Mackenzie as the course commentator.
I have really enjoyed his commentaries this season. When I know that he is commentating at the smaller jumps meetings, I sometimes set the video to record the At The Races coverage that day. I have found his commentaries to be very entertaining, often including interesting bits of information about form and the jockeys and trainers.
Because he opts to commentate only on jumps meetings, he often slips in bits of information about races the horses have run "between the flags", as he calls it, no doubt gleaned from his reputation as one of the leading point-to-point experts.
His commentaries are much improved from when I first used to hear him many years ago. At Market Rasen in smaller fields, he used to be seen scribbling notes about how the horses were running while he was supposed to be commentating on the race, no doubt for the day job as a "comments in running" reporter for Raceform or whoever.
He was also, to my amazement, sometimes to be seen leading round one of the horses in the parade ring minutes before the race. Then he used to sprint up to the commentary box, having failed to identify the horses and their colours to the racegoers as the runners went down, before breathlessly announcing over the public address that the horses were "at the post".
How on earth could a commentator get away with being a stable lad leading a horse round in the paddock and then rushing up to the commentory box, where he should have been many minutes earlier, doing what he was paid to do? We certainly didn’t get that casual service in those days from Raleigh Gilbert.
Iain Mackenzie did, when he used to commentate on the Flat as well, actually cover one or two big meetings, such as the July meeting at Newmarket. That was before he gave up the Flat to concentrate only on the jumps.
His performance now could not be much better as a racecourse commentator. What an improvement since I first heard and saw him at Market Rasen in 1979. No more long pauses and sub-standard commentaries while he writes down notes for another employer on how the horses are running.
With the enforced retirement of Graham Goode on December 31 last year, he is now the longest serving course commentator. He must have been doing so for well over 30 years (or three decades, as everyone in the media seems compelled to say these days). Perhaps nearer 40 years.
He was well enough regarded in the days of separate course and betting shop commentators to be, along with Raleigh, on both teams, no doubt making double the money.
I remember, in a course report, he once admitted he never
even owned a tie. He was certainly unconventional, even then.
No doubt Jeremy Grayson will be able to give me chapter and verse on when Iain Mackenzie first became a racecourse commentator and, sadly, when he is due to get the chop because of his age.
In the meantime, I want to pay tribute to him, one of the unsung heroes of the racecourse commentary team. I never thought that, 30 years on, I would be saying this because, all those years ago, I used to dread it if it was him commentating. Credit where credit is due, though. He does a very good, if largely unrecognised, job now.At the risk of letting you down, CrustyPatch, I have to admit I don’t have quite the precise details you hoped I might! Iain is a pretty private individual, including in regard of his age. It’s published precisely nowhere, not even in his
Directory of the Turf
write-up. I suspect his employers will know, though, so it’s not going to be a case of hoodwinking them – it’s simply the business of only them that need to know.
I
think
the earliest racecard I’ve ever seen with him named as the duty commentator would date back to around 1973. I’m afraid that’s subject to the vagaries of my memory, though (specifically: thumbing through a bunch of 1970s racecards – mostly for Market Rasen, as it happens – on sale at Dingley Point-to-Point a couple of years back, none of which I bought).
However, it was definitely 1973 that he became the co-editor of the
Hunter Chasers and Point-to-Pointers Annual
(alongside the Annual’s creator Geoffrey Sale), so he’s been actively involved in the racing media in whatever manifestation for an absolute minimum of 38 years now.
And yes, as far as I’m concerned he’s still the guv’nor. Still my favourite commentator (he’s not at all keen on the term "caller") and race-reader, and still by turns informative and delightfully waspish in both roles.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Thanks very much, Jeremy.
Very interesting. I love all the bits you have posted about racecourse commentators over the years, including the point-to-point commentators.
Iain Mackenzie’s point-to-pointing colleague, Martin Harris, was commentating at Ffos Las when I went to a jumps meeting there in August to complete my revised full set of visited racecourses but, although he did a perfectly adequate job, he did not add in the same splatterings of colour and information that Iain Mackenzie would have done.
I’ve noticed that the Racing Post has regularly misspelled his name as Ian McKenzie or some variation over the years. No doubt confusing it with Lee McKenzie (or Mackenzie as they sometimes call him). You’d think they would know better.While i cant comment on what his commentaries were like back in the 70s I know Iain is very well respected by my betting in running friends. His ability or routine to constantly identify the field in running order obviously helps with this, as well as describing the course layout(fences/turns etc) which sometimes the way the camera angles are situated, unless you actually know the course, can be tough. Its a shame more northern courses dont request his services although he has been up to hexham and sedgefield in the last year. Certainly in the winter it gets a bit repetitive listening to Darren Owen or Derek Thompson all the time.
If he is to be retired in the next few years or so, it would be nice if Cheltenham let him continue to do there P2P hunter chase night on course.While i cant comment on what his commentaries were like back in the 70s I know Iain is very well respected by my betting in running friends.
Even after yesterday?
Paul, you’re dead right. Iain Mackenzie didn’t get off to a very good start in the opening race at Chepstow yesterday when telling racegoers and those watching on At The Races that the favourite had gone at the first fence. Luckily, he spotted his mistake quickly and at least had the grace to correct himself and say "Sorry about that."
All in all, it wasn’t a vintage performance from him yesterday. Let’s hope for a better performance at Ffos Las today, where he is also the course commentator.
I enjoyed Darren Owen’s commentaries at Hexham yesterday.
Matt Chapman seems to be doing a better job on At The Races today, although he’s still insisting on calling Gary O’Brien "The Voice". He’s certainly being less bombastic and more restrained.
The commentator at Limerick today, Richard Pugh, is very good. Very fluent and competent. Hardly ever hear him, thanks to the dominance of Des Scahill and, to a lesser extent, Jerry Hannon and the terrible Peter O’Hehir.While i cant comment on what his commentaries were like back in the 70s I know Iain is very well respected by my betting in running friends.
Even after yesterday?
haha typical!!
The commentator at Limerick today, Richard Pugh, is very good. Very fluent and competent. Hardly ever hear him, thanks to the dominance of Des Scahill and, to a lesser extent, Jerry Hannon and the terrible Peter O’Hehir.
Richard Pugh’s itinerary may have a lot to do with his paucity of opportunities as well, given that he appears to be first and foremost a Point-to-Point man. He calls at many of the Irish Points, and writes on that mode of racing for, among others, the
Weekender
.
I don’t actually know whether he’d like more gigs at the Irish Rules tracks than he currently gets, but Downpatrick and Down Royal seem to make the most use of him. Delighted to hear him in action elsewhere this afternoon, though – a marked contrast to yet another exhibition of narcolepsy-in-commentary-form from yer man Scahill.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I quite like Des Scahill in a funny sort of way, even though all his commentaries are the same with just a different set of names.
John Penney, one of my favourite commentators, was just the same with his course commentaries but I still liked them, mainly because of his great voice.
Glad to see from the Racing Post’s birthdays lists in July that he is still going strong at the age of 85, although apparently now in poor health.
With Des Scahill, I like the way he, at some point in the longer races, names every runner in order with its jockey, even in a big field, at least once. He also usually mentions the winning jockey and trainer at the winning line, which many of our own commentators do not bother to do.
I know from what I read here and elsewhere that Des is getting fed up with the drudgery of his commentary duties, especially the travelling. Jerry Hannon seems to be the heir apparent but it would be great if Richard Pugh got the job. Not a chance, with all his other commitments, from what Jeremy Grayson has written.I recall a race at Down Royal a couple of years ago when the course commentator noted the final hurdle pile up as a ”fun filled finish”. I dont think any jockeys or horses were injured thankfully. I personally dislike too much opinion in a commentary and prefer the racing do the talking. On that score the Irish commentaries are generally excellent.
I recall a race at Down Royal a couple of years ago when the course commentator noted the final hurdle pile up as a ”fun filled finish”. I dont think any jockeys or horses were injured thankfully
Normally, this is referred to as a "shemozzle".
Follow Richard Pugh on Twitter, and got the impression from a couple of posts that he does commentaries from at least one of the greyhound tracks, as well as his between-the-flags duties. His commentary on West With The Wind’s win yesterday was top notch, particularly the final salvo.
Interesting snippet about Iain Mackenzie in the Racing Post today under the headline "Hats off to wry Mackenzie".
Columnist Dikler quotes a comment he makes about 10-year-old Overmall Granite in the new Hunter Chasers and Point-to-Pointers annual, which runs to 1,078 pages for the 2012 edition.
Mackenzie has co-edited the labour of love for many years.
The entry for Overmall Granite reads: "Gallantly lumped his 59lb overweight burden as far as the 11th in the Zetland Members but the pair then parted company, possibly to add a crater adjacent to the lakes at Witton."
Iain Mackenzie has always been known, too, for his witty remarks during racing commentaries. Good to see that he is again part of the racecourse commentary pool next year.
Any more pearls of wisdom to amuse us from the new annual would be welcome if anyone has seen any.What has happened to Iain McKenzie ? He usually does the hunter chase meetings like last night but haven’t heard him commentate for a while.
He is no longer on the Racetech commentators rota, he still does "comments in running" for the Racing Post and I’m guessing he will still be doing some PtP commentaries.
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